Nightshade
by Rhiannon Deschain
Summary: We all know Remus was a small boy when he received the bite that turned him, but what exactly went on. What happens when you give a plot bunny an inch and it takes a mile. Angstfic, Please RR COMPLETEDBeing editted.
1. Guy Fawkes Day

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Title: Nightshade

Author: Rhiannon Deschain

Summary: How Remus Lupin received the bite as a child, and when his parents knew it was just to the point where they had to stop trying. Bleh. Bad summary.

Lead: Remus and his parents, O/C were.

Rating: PG-13 (possible R, but it should be fine for you mature people ;) lol)

Author Note: Please don't ask where this lil' plot bunny came from. o.O. Even I don't know and I'm writing this. o.O This chapter has a lot more description and lengthy little explanations, but it should do. Oh well, hope it turns out decent. 

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Chapter 1

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Guy Fawkes Day

"Remus! Put down that book and help me in the kitchen!" Mrs. Lupin scolded her six-year-old son, who was currently glued to his seat in the living room, nose stuck in a book.

Remus was the kind of youngster that, along with playing games with the few other boys he had made friends with in his neighborhood, loved reading. His father found it odd almost that a child his age, given the choice between going outside and staying inside, could only be persuaded one way or the other if a book were involved. His mother, on the other hand, encouraged this, as it would help him as he grew up, and often brought home small books of his level home for him when she went out. She had been right. Remus was very clever for his age, and his mother's encouragements had made it clear he was going to be in the top of his class. 

With a sigh, the small boy with toffee colored hair put his book on the table and climbed down out of his father's armchair and made his way to the kitchen. The Lupin's, although not a predominant family in the wizarding world, they were by no means the lowest. In the Muggle world, they would be you're average, middle class family. Mr. Lupin was, at the moment, out at work, leaving his wife and young son to make the preparations for that night's Guy Fawkes Day party.

Remus walked into the kitchen, tawny eyes curious. his mother, a dark haired Welsh woman, turned and saw him, and, with a smile, handed him a cookie sheet.

"Go set that on the table over there, love, and set to work makin' cookies. The batter's already on the table, in that bowl." she said cheerily, nodding to the bowl. 

Remus beamed at his mother and set to work making the cookies, a task he always enjoyed, seeing as if he did well, his mum would let him have the batter bowl to have the left over cookie dough. The Lupin's were known for their Guy Fawkes Day party, where they invited some of their close friends over for the night's meal. Those families included the MacDougal's and the Turpin's, whose children were both good friends of Remus. The community was tight-nit and in it, the Lupin's were well thought of. 

Half way through putting gobs of cookie dough on the pan, the back door opened, letting a chilly breeze of crisp air in as Mr. Lupin came in home from work, early since it was a holiday. He shut the door behind him, sandy hair much like his son's in disarray and cheeks flushed from the bite of the air outside. It was evident that Remus had gotten his looks from his father: they could be carbon copies. 

"Da!" the young boy squealed and hopped to the floor, scampering to his father.

"There's my boy, och, ye've gone and gotten dough all over me now.. " he chuckled and ruffled his son's hair. "Everything well Clara?"

His wife smiled and gave a wave of her hand, and bent to take a casserole from the oven before going over and kissing her husband on the cheek. 

"'Course it is. Halfway done, all I need is the turkey." she said with a wink.

"Won't this little chap do?" her husband replied with a grin, gesturing to his son, who gave an indignant look.

"I'm not a turkey Mum!"

"I know yer not sweetie, go on back to the cookies." she said knowingly, and swatted her husbands arm.

"Guess that means we'll have to go and catch one Rem, don't it?" he said to his son, who now, instead of showing an indignant look, glowed with excitement.

One thing that was customary, or that had been for a year now, was for Mr. Lupin to take his son out to hunt a turkey for Christmas or some other holiday. What the boy didn't know was that wild turkeys were not common around their parts, in fact they didn't even live there, and the purpose of the little hunt was for Remus and his father to have time together, since his work often led the father to be gone for significant amounts of time. Leaving Clara to raise the boy by her own standard, which would inadvertently be a savior to the boy. 

Being around his mother more, he caught onto her wit and jesting, and though he was graced with his father's looks, he was blessed with his mother's mind. She may be a half blood, but she made top marks in her classes, and was a very sharp and clever woman. His father was in his own right, but it took diligent study and hard work for him. Remus' mother also taught him manners ("Always be polite, e'en if that person 'asn't done a thing nice to ye. They'll get their round back to them, but 'least ye did your part."), and he got his calm, passive nature from her as well. 

Mr. Lupin's footsteps grew harder to detect as he made his way upstairs to change from work clothes to clothes he could go outside in, and Remus hurried through the rest of the batter.

"Ah, ah! Now make sure you did those right, Remus." his mother told him loftily but sternly as she briskly walked by him with a pan full of ham. 

Remus sighed and went over his job, making sure he had done as he was told and found that he had made the last two cookie blobs exceptionally larger then the rest and broke them up into smaller bits to fit and fill out the rest of the pan. 

"Good, good, now go get dressed, I'll put these in and yes, you can have the bowl." she chuckled and watched her son run to his room to get changed.

Both returned shortly, the elder dressed in heavy, warm robes, and the younger in his "outside" clothes that looked like they had been worsened five times over and a warm cloak over it. Just then, Mrs. Lupin drop her kidney pie.

"Bollocks!" she swore under her breath and produced her wand from one of her hidden pockets in her skirts and cleaned up the mess.

"Alright there?" Mr. Lupin asked, forcing a straight face. His wife glowered at him a moment, but soon whipped the look away as her son popped into view. 

She went over and bent down to kiss his forehead, then leaned up to kiss her husbands cheek. "Take care you two, I want you both back in one piece, y'hear?" she said with good-natured motherliness. 

"'Course Clara dear, alright champ, you ready to go?" Mr. Lupin asked his son, a quick smile on his face. Remus grinned up at his father, earning himself a hair ruffle from his father. "We'll be back before sundown." he told Clara, knowing she already had a turkey in the oven, ready for dinner that night, and turned leading his son out the door into the cool evening to the woods beyond their home.

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Author's Note: Oro? lol.. That was a bit much, but next chapter we get to see what happens to poor wittle Remmie, and his mother who I'm surprised....well, you'll see ;) Hope ye enjoyed!

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EDIT: Thanks Marz, for pointing out my blatantly STUPID mistake. THIS is what I get for writing a plot bunny fic too fast. Thanksgiving in Britain. Urgh. I should be slapped. There, I changed it with a correct holiday ^_^. But about the turkeys, it works. There isn't supposed to be any, it's just for Xavier to spend time with Remus. lol


	2. The Hunt

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Chapter 2

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The Hunt

The chilly November wind picked up a bit as the father and son walked into the woods just beyond the small neighborhood in which they lived, sending vibrant colored dead leaves flying through the air to dace around them. Remus laughed happily, the light , giddy sound seeming quite the contradiction to the dark woods, and attempted to catch some. Xavier smiled a little at his son's antics, but in the back of his mind he wondered if they would really stay out that late this time. It was getting colder rapidly, and their breaths were making soft white frost clouds on the air now. Besides, it wasn't beast to test your luck with the woods that late at night. No telling what lived there. No wild turkeys for sure. Which was why Clara already had a goose going in the oven. Remus never wondered how come there was a goose on the table when they didn't bring home any sort of fowl, he was far too elated from just getting to outside and have fun with his father. A little pang of guilt struck Xavier, he should really try to spend more time at home. 

"Remember Rem, if you think you see one, tell me and I'll stun it. Then we can bring it back to your Mum." he heard himself, as was par for the course. 

Remus nodded enthusiastically and his keen tawny eyes watched the surrounding brushes for signs for approximately five seconds before they were wandering again. Xavier held back a grin. Typical for a young boy to be easily distracted. Soon enough he was talking to his son about the past week, and what had gone on.

"Mandi got in trouble with his mum and almost couldn't come tonight. Something about breaking one of his Da's things.." Remus said, very much trying to make himself sound older and impress his father.

Mandi, Xavier knew, was one of Remus' good friends. and happened to know the young boy's father was in the Ministry. Breaking one of his fathers things could very well wind him in deep trouble depending on the item. Walking along a well trod path, the conversation went on, past what assignments his mother had given him to do, and other items of interest of a child that wanted desperately to be close to his father. Xavier himself, listened very well, quietly to all his son had to say, laughing or patting his shoulder at the appropriate times, realizing how much time he'd missed.

Soon, the full moon was being their torch, and they hadn't seen so much as a feather of a turkey. Xavier put an arm in front of his son to stop him and he looked around quizzically. They hadn't gone this far before. A scowl crossed his face for being so absent minded and he immediately took to looking around the area for the appropriate direction. 

"Da, look!" came his son's slightly breathless voice. He turned to see his son hunched by a tree, fingers tracing something in the bark. Xavier went up behind him to see and at what he did indeed see, he grasped his son's shoulders and pulled him back sharply away from the tree. Along the trunk of the tree, were long, deep claw marks. 

"I think you're mum'll be in a right state soon, we should head back." he said, keeping his voice as level as he could, for Remus' sake.

His son looked at him slightly bemused, and then at the claw marks. Xavier only knew one creature that could make those marks on a tree: a werewolf. As if to solidify this, a rustling came from the hedges and foliage behind them, and Xavier spun around, keeping Remus behind him.

A pair of yellow, predatory eyes shone out of the dark leaves at him.

Xavier pulled his wand slowly, speaking in a low voice to Remus. "Be very quiet Rem, very quiet. Your Da will try and see if he can get this fellow to go on his way..." it was the easies way to put it for the young boy, so that he understood and didn't panic. Even a boy as bright as Remus needed to be soothed sometimes, especially when something he didn't understand was about. Xavier took a few steps away from his son, putting himself closer to the eyes.

The eyes soon grew to be a large head and soon the even larger body of a male wolf. But no normal wolf could be this size: his back was nearly at the waist of Xavier and Xavier was not a small man. Remus' eyes grew large at the sight of the huge, awe striking creature. A low growl purred from the creatures throat as he glared at the man in front of him. 

With no warning, as Xavier slowly rose his wand to stun the creature, the massive wolf launched itself at the man, teeth bared. Sheer instinct saved Xavier as the weight of the creature knocked him backwards, into a tree, as he curled into a ball, sparing him several broken bones. Remus was shoved violently away as his father's body knocked into him and the were's tail slapped him across the head, spending the world spinning. Xavier was uncurling himself and his eyes focusing slowly on the retreating form of the werewolf when it became apparent what was about to happen.

"No you bastard!" he growled at the creature, picking himself up hastily, preparing to hex the creature, but Remus' anguished scream beat him to it.

Remus had been corned to a point where besides his spinning vision and terrified nature, he was unarmed and unable to defend himself. He kicked a branch that had fallen from the nearby tree at the creature, but this only irked the creature more. Scared whimpers came from the young boy, not knowing what to do and only wanting his father or his mother to wake him up, because apparently this was some kind of horrible nightmare. He did the only thing his frightened mind could think of. As the were progressed toward him, Remus threw his arm out, trying to scare it off as he had done to many of the stray dogs he'd come across that began to growl at him. This made no difference to the wolf who snapped out and caught the boys wrist in his strong jaw. 

The boy screamed in fright and pain, the soft skin around his wrist punctured and bleeding into the creatures mouth and his body immediately pulling his arm away from the pain. The wolf responded with a growl and firm tug back, pulling the boy down on his chest, still crying out in pain, and proceeding to pull the small boy along with him, away from his father and into the deeper brambles. Remus struggled as much as a little boy terrified beyond his mind and in horrible pain could, but this only got him sharp reprimands from the were, one ending in the brittle snap of his frail little wrist bone.

"STUPIFY!" roared Xavier, mind finally settled and on his feet. He would have thrown a far more deadly curse at the creature if it hadn't been for his son's body being so close by and his fear he might hit the boy rather then the were. 

The light hit the were full on the side, sending the creature flying. It released Remus' wrist only after its paws left the ground, and the boy was tossed into a nearby thicket. By then, Remus was already shifting, changing. Shocked sobs tore their way from the boy's chest as he watched his hands twist and reform into paws, his spine lengthen into a tail. Another shrill scream came from him as his knees popped to face the opposite direction. 

"REMUS! Remus!!!" Xavier yelled, madly trying to get through the thick, knee high foliage and getting no where rather slowly. "Remus!" again his furtive cries rang out, only to fall on his son's deaf ears. 

The were growled as it rose to it's feet, the spell only strong enough to keep it down but a minute and it's yellow eyes quickly assessed the situation. He was about to up and leave the wizard where he was, when he caught wind of another wolf. 

A young, wiry wolf limped out of the brambles, whimpering and favoring it's left forepaw. The elder were growled at it, only to receive a snapping bark in reply. His ears perked up and he trotted over to the other were. Deep down something told him to be territorial and just kill the pup, but another sense told him this was his child in a sense, he'd turned him after all. He herded the younger were in front of him as he made his way to his den, leaving the wizard to bellow and cry out his lost child's name.

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"Clara? You want me to go get your boys? They've been out a while, and it's bloody cold out there." Fred McDougal asked his hostess as she laid out plates.

Clara looked out the window, the edges of the glass in the panes frosted and the wind slowly picking up. There was no sign of the two returning soon. She gave a sigh and nodded.

"Please. Xavier said he should be back with Remus before sundown.." she said, sounding more worried then she had a few minutes ago when asked where her husband and son were.

The man nodded and patted her arm reassuringly, leaving his wife and the other couple to chat with Clara and make her relax. He threw on his heavy cloak and stepped out the back door. No sooner had he shut the door then were his ears lashed by the wind carrying a boy's high pitched scream, and Fred needed no other encouragement to set out at a dead run, wand out, towards the forest.

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"Remus!!!" Xavier's voice cracked hoarsely as he called his son's name frantically.

It had been more then twenty minutes since the were left and Xavier was beginning to grow numb to the biting cold but not numb to the sick feeling in his stomach. 

"Xavier?" a cautiously, concerned voice asked. Xavier nearly fell over.

"Who is it?" he hissed as he spun around to find himself face-to-face with one of his friends and neighbors, Fred MacDougal. "Fred," he breathed, feeling as he could almost faint with relief. "what are you doing here?"

"Came to get you and the boy, Clara's worried, Xav, what's the matter?" he asked, his friends pale face highlighted with red-raw cheeks and dried blood on his temple, his hair in disarray and his robes no better.

Xavier's hand tightedned around his wand. "Remus...he's...We were attacked and.. It took Remus." he said painfully, looking to his friend for some kind of solace.

Fred's face fell, and Xavier knew there was no solace to be found there. The two resumed scouting the dark and frigid woods, calling the boy's name to no avail. Fred finally came to a stop in a patch of bramble, on their way back towards the house and had to shout to be heard over the other man's calls.

"Xavier! Get over here, think I found..." he started but immediately regretted it. He bent down to pick up what had caught his eye and then righted himself. Xavier's hard footfalls and the sound of the crunching of leaves rose until Xavier stopped behind him.

"What did you find, man?" he asked, slightly out of breath.

Fred cursed himself mentally as he turned around, looking at his friend's hopeful eyes that he might have found some sign, any sign that his son was still alive. He held up what he had picked up, a small jumper torn and rent, covered in cold, drying blood, leaves sticking to the coagulated blood.

A choking sob cracked from Xavier as he took the jumper and his knees unhinged, slamming him full force to his knees on the ground. Fred knelt in front of his friend, hands on his shoulders.

"Come on old friend, let's get you home... break the news to the missus." he said in a tight voice, and helped Xavier to his feet, and the two made their way to the house, icy wind freezing the tears on Xavier's face.

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Author's Note: Bwhaha! I'm a monster a'int I? XD Well, now, to find out what has happened to poor Remmie, next chapter pwease.. and pwease r/r.. ^_^ Fi Cariad Chi?


	3. Homecoming

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Chapter 3

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Homecoming

Abram Daniels woke to sunlight stabbing through his eyelids, a stick jabbing him in the back and cold dew covering his body.

"Damn fine way to wake up, I'll tell ye," he mumbled as he propped his aching body up on his elbows. He blearily looked around, noting to himself with pride he had gotten damn near home before changing back. 

He was completely unclothed and the chilly morning air, not to mention the dew, was making his skin crawl and shiver. He was used to this though, had been a werewolf for three years. You got used to things like this. And besides, it wasn't like there was anyone there to see him lying there grumbling in the buff.

This is where he was wrong. His eyes finally landed on a young boy, no more the seven, in the same shape he was in, curled tightly on his side in the grass, not too far away.

_What in the fresh fecking HELL is going on here?!_ he thought a bit frantically. I mean, think about it, a twenty-four year old male werewolf living by himself rarely finds himself waking up the night after the change with a child asleep nearby . 

Abrams pale blue eyes watched the child with confusion before the memory of the night's incidents came back to him. He was never fully able to control the wolf side of him during the change but he still had it's memory when he awoke. He remembered the boy and his old man out in the woods...and he had..

He swallowed hard against the sick feeling he got and looked at the boys small wrist. It was covered with laceration marks and the bone stuck out at an odd angle. The boy whimpered a little in his sleep, but didn't stir. A cricket hopped it's way onto the boy's bare shoulder and from there onto his cowlick.

Abram dropped his head into his hands and let out a moan of guilt. What was he going to do with this kid? He gave a sigh and rose to his feet gingerly, going to where he hid a fresh pair of clothes. He pulled the pants on and did them up, and then looked at the shirt. He went to the kid and gently as he could, put him in the shirt. It was big enough to be like a nightshirt to him. 

He picked the boy up gingerly, trying not to hurt or wake him, and he didn't as the boy was almost unconscious from exhaustion and blood loss. He walked the rest of the way to his house, barefoot, and his feet were just about frozen by the time he got there. 

_Damn winter. _he thought bitterly as he pushed the door open and let it shut behind him. 

Abram was a Muggle, a werewolf, but a Muggle, so he would know of no way to heal or set bones as a mediwizard would. So, he did the next best thing. He took care of the boy first, washing the cuts off, and getting salve of some sorts that he had gotten from the drug store and band aids for the smaller cuts, bandages for the larger. The major problem was the broken wrist. He considered resetting it, which he knew was what should be done, but he couldn't bring himself to pop the broken bone back in place and hurt the kid even more. So, he doctored the wounds and wrapped it, and then tended to his own minor scratches. 

He got up and started a fire, and then got a blanket to put over the boy, whom he had laid on the couch, to keep him warm. He looked down at the boy, his own shirt making him appear smaller and thinner then he already was, and the white color making his face more pallid. A child. Just a little _child_. The thought sent a wave of nausea over him and he barely made it to his restroom.

Once he was threw emptying the contents of his stomach, what little there was, he stood up shakily, and went to the basin. He turned on the faucet and filled his hands with cool water, sloshing it around his mouth and spitting it out to clean out the taste, then proceeding to wash his face. 

He looked up at his reflection as he grabbed for a towel, knowing his face wasn't going to be a pleasant one to wake to for the kid. He was young still, and handsome before having been bitten. Still was probably, but the shadows under his eyes, the weeks worth of stubble over sunken cheeks and the worn glaze to his eyes diminished that fact. He dried his face and went to the kitchen, putting a pot of water on the stove to make tea. Once it was done, he made two cups and went to sit down beside the couch until the kid woke.

It wasn't that long he would have to wake. Remus' eyes flew open and once they took in the strange house and bedraggled and harassed looking young man beside him, both hands went to the couch and shoved himself up with a scared gasp, which of course, turned to a sharp cry of pain as his broken wrist gave way under him sending him back to the couch.

Abram nearly fell off his chair at the kid's reaction, which he should have expected, and put his hands on the boy's shoulders to calm him.

"Kid, hey, hey Kid, come'n I'm not gonna hurt ya..." _No more then I already have,_ he told himself darkly, sickened by the thought. "Calm down now, you're gonna mess up that wrist even more."

The boy stopped his struggle and looked up at him with pain- and fright- tear filled tawny eyes. He swallowed, and nodded to the stranger, forcing himself to be brave, but allowing a sniffle to escape him to make known his plight. 

"There now. Here, have some tea." he said, handing the kid a cup of tea. _God, this is why I didn't want kids.. I don't know how to talk to 'em_....he mentally mumbled. "You gotta name?"

"R-R-Remus Lu-upin." came the unsteady reply.

"Ah, good name. Now.. er..." he trailed off, not knowing what to say.

"Why am I here? Who are you?" the kid (_Remus, not the kid,_) asked, taking up on the questions.

"I'm Abram Daniels, call me Abe. You're at my place because... I found ya this morning, laying out in that pasture there," he pointed out to the pasture lined with trees where he had awoken. "and I brought ya in to fix ya up..."

Remus nodded morosely, quiet for a moment. "Thank you," he said finally, startling Abe again.

"Wha was that?" he asked, amazed for a minute. A thanks? No one thanked him. Except for his ex, who thanked him for nothing when they split, but that didn't count.

"Thank you, for helping me." he said again, calmly as if it were a blatantly obvious fact. 

_He's got manners 'est, praise God._ "Oh, ah, no problem... Say, what happened to you, you look like you got jumped." he said, regretting his words as soon as they were spoken.

The boy's lower lip trembled and a shiver passed over him. "I...I don't remember much. Just that I got.. I got..." he stumbled, not sure if he should say.

"Go on kid, ya can tell me," he said gently, already knowing.

"I got.. b-bite by a wolf." Remus finally said, looking a bit paler.

"That would explain that nasty problem ya got with your wrist. Hmm, ya don't think you'll be able to help me get you home do ya?" he asked, wanting to give the kid back to his parents more so now then ever. _He doesn't even have the slightest clue it could have been me that bite him, what am I gonna tell his folks?_

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Xavier Lupin woke up early the next morning, not particularly caring to. He woke up and found the spot beside him where his wife slept empty. A heavy sigh was given and he pulled himself to his feet and put on a bathrobe over his night clothes to ward off chill and made his way downstairs.

His wife was in the kitchen, absently washing an already clean dish in the sink, eyes intently staring out the window over it, watching the tree line as if expecting someone to come out. The sight of this made his stomach turn a little, guilt weightily on his shoulders. 

Clara gave a bit of a start as her husband put a hand on her back , and looked at him with startled, red rimmed eyes. When her husband and neighbor had returned home with just her son's rent and bloodstained jumper, she had fainted, flat out. Her son, only son was gone. This morning it wasn't much better, but at least now she was convinced it was some heinous joke. 

Xavier didn't go to work that day, not caring if his boss would give him hell the next day, he already had his own personal one, what was one more? After a painfully silent half an hour with his wife, who was still watching out the window, he went upstairs and changed into decent clothes. He had gotten downstairs just in time to hear a sharp rap at the door.

_Probably Frank, coming over to say his grievances,_ he thought, not wanting it to be that, but somewhat expecting it. But when he opened the door, that was not who it was. In fact, it was the very person he least expected to see.

###

Abe had dressed the kid as best he could, settling for a pair of his cut off shorts which fit the boy like high waters, and the shirt he had put on him earlier. He'd managed to remember to drag a comb through his silver flecked black hair to make himself somewhat more presentable and put a shirt on gingerly.

"Ok, lets go to the truck." he told the kid, Remus, who looked frankly puzzled at the word. 

Once they went outside to his truck, it became apparent to Abe, that this kid had never seen nor been in a vehicle. After a minute of persuasion, and stacking a phone book or two on the seat so he could see out, Abe got in the drivers' seat and gunned the truck to start.

Soon enough, the truck was sailing at an easy speed down the country road. Remus had walked with his mother to town, a good length away and knew the road vaguely, but he still made Abe pass up the street so they had to turn around and go back to it. But other then that, finding home was second nature to him.

The truck came to a stop in front of the house and several of the families with houses nearby looked out curiously at the machine. _Wow... must be pretty old fashioned, I don't see a car here._ Abe thought vaguely, as he took the boy's hand and was led to the proper house. He ran his free hand through his hair nervously, and then rapped on the door, rather sharper then he intended.

A very tired looking man, roughly over five years Abe's senior answered and with a perplexed look his eyes went from Abe to the boy and widened in shock. 

"Da!!" the boy cried out (causing Abe to about jump out of his skin) and threw himself at the older man unheeding of his broken wrist, to be caught gratefully by the elder.

Abe coughed a bit. "Guess I'll be goin' now.." he said uneasily, preparing to turn around and walk back to his truck, hands in his pockets now.

"Wait," the older man said, catching him by the elbow. Abe shuddered at the touch. "...thank you...and...how...?" he said, a bit in awe, watching the younger man.

Abe turned around and gave a small, weak smile, his haggard but still youthful face lighting a bit. "No problem sir, he's a good kid. Found him this mornin', asleep out in one of my pastures...brought him in and patched him up best I could, then he helped me get him back here...Nothing really." he said a bit awkwardly, not used to having people be openly kind to him, and in a bit of confusion over the others dressing.

"I can only thank you so much, but...you gave me my son back, there's nothing I could ever do for you that could repay that," Xavier said sincerely, arms around the boy protectively. 

_You could find me a cure...all of us for that matter. But no one can, and that's ok. _"Don't think of it...Honest." Was what he said, rather then verbalizing the previous thought.

He soon found in his hand a gold piece, evidently pulled from some pocket or another from the other man's, well, robes he guessed he could call them.

"Xavier, what's the- REMUS!" a woman's voice said, her voice raising two octaves as she caught sight of the boy and she soon scooped him up in her arms, tears of relief on her face. 

Abe coughed awkwardly again, fumbling with the coin in his hands.

"It's the least I can do, and, thank you again." Xavier said, his own face breaking into a smooth smile.

For once, Abe found himself giving the odd man a true smile back. "Anytime." he said and walked down the path to his truck, and drove off thinking what in God's name he was going to do with a gold piece.

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Author's Note: Heheh! I think I like my O/C were Abram more then my lead now!...Nah, not really ;) Well.. hope ye liked ^^


	4. St Mungo's

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Chapter 4

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St. Mungo's

That evening, Mr. and Mrs. Lupin took their son to St. Mungo's for treatment. Once they arrived and went to the receptionist, she looked a bit nervous when the whole ordeal was said and done.

"Dai Llwelyn Ward..." she said quietly, pointing them in the direction.

The Lupin's took their pallid, shaken child to the Dai Llwelyn Ward, finding a mediwitch that immediately got them a bed and said it would only be a bit longer until a Healer came. Remus sat upon the large and sterile bed, looking wide eyed at the others in the ward: a lady with her face bandaged, a young man with his leg in a cast that frequently let off steam as if it were a kettle, and an old man who looked very frail and like he was going to pass on at any moment.

The room scared him, but he didn't cry, or shake, he looked around with wide, intelligent eyes, trying to understand something about this place. His mother rubbed his shoulders soothingly and looked at Xavier with a quiet nervousness.

The Healer walked in, face down, reading the report on the little boy in her file, a frown line of concentration on her brow. She looked up to see the family waiting and she smiled brightly. Long mousy brown hair was pulled up into a messy but efficient enough bun, and her hazel eyes were warm and amiable. 

"Hello there! You must be young Master Lupin, I'm going to be your Healer while you're here, I'm Denise Harrington." she said cheerily, taking Remus' good hand and giving it a gentle shake. "And you two are the lovely parents, pleasure." she said, again, warmly shaking their proffered hands.

Remus immediately felt a little more secure in this alien, white, pristine place, and smiled nervously at her. _She's got a way with kids, this may not be too bad_, Clara thought with relief.

"Now, seems like you had a bit of a run in with a big bad wolf, hmm? Well, there's no problem in that! We'll get you patched up good as we can and you'll be home before you know it." she said, genuinely honest. "First thing, lets get that... thing off your wrist. I say, what are _those_?" she asked in amused confusion as she gestured to the little tan strips stuck to Remus' skin.

"Abe called them band aids...He put some sticky stuff on my cuts and then put those over them." Remus replied in an unnervingly composed voice.

Healer Denise looked up at him with a quirked eyebrow and merely nodded, then sat down on the bed, opposite to him. She deftly took out her wand and as she removed the little band aids from his skin, and used simple spells to heal up the scratches, not even leaving scars. She then gently removed the wrapping around his wrist, and Remus couldn't stop from flinching. That was _his_ wrist mangled up like that... The thought made him shiver a little.

"'S alright hun," Healer Denise said, rubbing his shoulder encouragingly. "looks mighty bad doesn't it? I know, but no worries mate, we'll have it looking like new right soon." she said, giving him a warm, small smile.

Remus startled himself by smiling back "'Kay..."

"That's a mate! Now, lets go over here," she said, helping him off the bed and to the wash basin, where she rinsed the salve off the cuts, ("What _odd_ ways Muggles have of healing... Honestly!") and then laid his hand and wrist on the counter top.

"Now, this is going to hurt a bit, I won't lie. You want to hold someone's hand to get your mind off it?" she asked, and gave Remus an understanding look.

Remus straightened his little back and set his jaw, shaking his head a little. He wanted to do this on his own. Healer Denise shot a look at Clara and Xavier, as if showing them she tried. She always gave children a choice, let them make their decisions. 

"Okay, now, on the count of three, I'm going to say a spell and that's going to make your wrist straight. The next will wrap it up, keep it in place for the night to be sure it heals nice and neat. Okay?" she told him, explaining what was going to happen. She found that the more the child knew in this instance, the less frightening it would be for them. When Remus gave her a nod of understanding, she said the spell. 

"One... two... three... _Romparase_!" she said quickly, making it as painless as she could, then, "_Ferula_." and bandages wrapped around the newly set wrist.

The sharp splitting pain shot through Remus' arm to his spine, making him go rigid but he didn't cry out. Once it was done, he opened his eyes (which he had shut tightly unconsciously), and gave a shuddering sigh as he looked up at Healer Denise.

"There now, fell a little better?" she asked softly, crouching down to be his eye level, hazel eyes concerned.

Remus swallowed and nodded. Remarkably, the dull throb in his wrist was gone, only a sharp sting here and there even reminded him it was reset. He smiled up at the Healer in thanks.

"That's a way to be, come on," she said, smiling broadly at him, ruffling his hair and leading him back to sit next to his mother on the bed.

"Now that that trivial little matter is out of the way," she gave Remus a good-natured wink, who grinned. "we can get to what is serious." she said, becoming a bit more sober. 

"Do you think we should discuss this... now?" Clara asked the Healer, meaning with Remus in the room.

Healer Denise nodded. "Of course, don't put off something for later when now will suffice. We are going to do one test, to be certain he was indeed bitten by a werewolf, and not a large alpha male wolf-" she started but was interrupted by Xavier.

"I know what I saw Healer!" he said, a bit indignantly, but not without some respect for the woman.

Healer Denise raised a brow at him but nodded. "I believe you, but unfortunately it is Ward Policy to be absolutely certain before making any actions. I am sorry, I wouldn't do this unless I have to. We are going to test the effects of silver against his skin, as soon as it shows sign of burn, I will remove it. Believe me, I'm not wanting to do this to Remus anymore then he wants to go through with it. I'll be as easy as I can with it, but, like I said, it has to be done." she said regretfully.

Remus shifted nervously at the mention of "burn" and "silver" in the same sentence. 

"As soon as that test is finished, he will be kept here until he is fully healed, and if we could ask you, if he does test positive, we would like to test our findings of a possible cure on him. Of course," she added hastily, noting the spark of fire in Clara's eye. "it will be yours' and Remus' final call."

Clara promptly took up the silence as a chance to strike. "You're asking _me_ to submit my _son_ to testing for a cure? like some human Guinea Pig?!" she hissed, arm tightening around Remus' shoulder.

"Clara-" Xavier began, trying to calm his wife, who, though passive in nature, couldn't control her irritation and anger as well as he.

"Wait! I want to know this. Tell me, what are the chances of these tests," she spat the word as if it were some filthy creature's name. "will be turn out effective, or positive, or whatever it is you want to call it?" she asked the Healer, eyes flashing Challenge.

The Healer shifted her gaze a bit, and gnawed on her lower lip a little before answering. "No one is sure how they will effect him, nor how they will turn out. I hate to say this, but we have had no cases of lycanthropcy to test these on. I was only asking, you don't have to consent..."

The parents were silent a moment, and Remus shifted uneasily under his mother's tight hold around his shoulders.

"Is there a chance it might help him? The testing?" Xavier asked finally, ignoring his wife's dagger like stare.

"There's always a chance.. and we've been improving it over the years... " she said, letting it hang. 

The conversing between the three of them (which Remus kept thoughtfully silent throughout) continued for an hour more. In the end, Xavier talked his wife into letting them run two different tests on Remus should he prove positive (which they were already sure he would). They settled on the longest they would allow him to be there was a month, shortest two weeks. Remus wasn't sure what exactly to make of the whole situation, but only knew he wasn't going to enjoy the testing.

After his parents unnerved goodbye, Remus found himself having to come to think of the sterile bed in the foreboding Ward room as his home for the remainder of time he was there. And he was right about one thing: he didn't enjoy any of the testing in any way shape or form.

The silver test was simple, but painful enough, Healer Denise had indeed removed the small rod of silver from slightly above his skin as soon as the skin showed signs of irritation and Remus complained of a burning feeling. The light burn did not scar, but some of the other tests did leave scars.

Some of the tests weren't painful at all, the test which included the testing of a weak form of what was to be known as Wolfsbane potion proved to be one of those, but some of them were just unbelievable. Remus somehow forced those from his memory before the time he went home, but the lasting memories were to be what followed soon after, in after effects of what had happened at St. Mungo's.

****

Author's Note: Meheh, and for those of you pondering about the last line, it probably doesn't mean what you think ;) And I for one am proud of myself for using a Spanish verb "to break oneself" (I do believe that's what it is, correct me if I'm wrong, Spanish II ended in may and I gladly forgot most of it ;] ) _romparse_, as the spell that was used to knit Remus' broken wrist bone back together. XD I never fail to amuse myself. ;) Hope ye enjoyed. ^_^


	5. Loss of Innocence

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Chapter 5

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Loss of Innocence

Almost four long weeks went by, and Remus came home, the day before Christmas. Christmas was an exceptional feast (and of course Clara made a point of not even mentioning the word hunt around either Xavier or Remus, and pointedly made sure they staid inside), larger then Guy Fawkes Day, and both the MacDougal's and the Turpin's came, children as well. This was the first time in over a month the children had seen their close friend and both immediately tackled Remus in bone shattering hugs.

The parents smiled, and laughed, apparently willing this holiday to be a much lighter one and banish the memory of the one previous altogether. Xavier and Clara had agreed not to mention Remus' lycanthropcy to anyone just yet, the full moon was going to be the day of Remus' birthday, and because of it, he couldn't have a party. Thoroughly disheartened, the boy had made a petition to have his party on Christmas, and they had consented, but told them if any of the other children asked, he was going to families house for his birthday this year. He understood, unnerving adult of him to do so, but he actually did. He was scared of his condition, and he knew his friends would be too, so he agreed, not wanting to tell them either.

The night went well (so much so that one would begin to wonder when the good spell would run out) and went cleanly through, without a hitch. The children played various games in the living room until dinner, where they eat heartily, and at the end, presented Remus with his birthday presents. Coincidentally, Mandi MacDougal gave his best friend a lunar chart, "So's we can pick out the stars at night!" he had said, beaming, as this was a favorite pass time of the two before the bite. No one noticed poor Remus blanche at this, but had merely guessed it to be in shock of the gift. He recovered amazingly well, forcing a big grin at his friend and agreeing to do so some time. Serin Turpin had gotten him a set of wizard's chess, onyx and opal with a marble playing board, and most likely highly expensive. This was from the whole family, to the whole family, which was understandable.

Soon the guests had went home, and Remus' mother helped him take his new gifts to his room, and tucked him into bed with a smile on his face for the first time since he had gotten home. He had had a normal day, a party with his friends, and that had done more good then any test at St. Mungo's had. 

Upon the next morning, Remus' father left for work early, not coming home until late, and by that time, Remus had been sent to bed. He had snuck out of course, waiting in the hallway to sneak up on his father so he could. He waited outside the kitchen door to the hall, and listened for sounds of his father walking toward it. That wasn't what he heard.

"Xavier?" a soft voice asked. There was a rustling of papers.

"Yes, what is it?" the reply came, sounding concerned.

"Look at these, they're from St. Mungo's. For Remus' 'treatments' as they call them." the voice now sounded tight, clipped.

"Merlin's beard," his father's voice breathed, and the rustling of paper slightly proceeded before he spoke again. "Clara.. I don't know how I'm going to do this..."

"I know. I.. I've been meaning to tell you I might get a second job other then the part time one..."

"No. I won't have it." came the immediate reply, stubborn and set.

"Oh shut it Xavier! I know what condition we're in...and I know what kind for salary you bring home. It's nothing to look down your nose at, but I know we can't pay our house note, the other notes and now this." Clara snapped, and followed it up shortly with a quiet. "Sorry. I shouldn't have jumped down yer throat..."

"Not at all. I shouldn't have been so ox headed as to think you had no idea. We're even... hush love, come now.." he said, obviously trying to console his flustered and upset mother.

Remus didn't catch much else of the conversation, other then the next bit about mortgaging the house, and getting a smaller place farther off. His heart sank pitifully, and his eye swam. He quickly ran himself to bed and shut the door tightly, but softly behind him, jumping on his bed. He sat cross legged, the waxing moon sending an eerie silver light through his window, and he sniffled, gazing out it to the bright, cursed thing that had twisted his life around.

He had no idea what mortgaging was, but he could guess if it meant getting a new home someplace else. They were going to sell the house and go away. Forever. And it was all his fault some how. At least in his mind it was. Silent tears fell from his eyes, arresting even at almost seven years old. He brushed them away bitterly, making himself toughen up, feeling emotions no child should ever have to. Remus fell asleep that night, young mind filled with confusion and utterly miserable, after having been happier then he had been in a month a couple of days prior.

###

The day of Remus' seventh birthday came all too quickly for the family. But this also meant this horribly awry year was soon coming to an end, and maybe better times would come next year, with a new life.

For the change, Remus was locked in the cellar downstairs, must to his parent's distemper and Remus' discomfort. The cellar was cold, and dank, and often smelled of mildew. Xavier took his son down the steps that night, and once he was down there, he put a Warming Charm on the room, so Remus didn't come down with 'flu. There was water there, enough for the night, but other then that, the cellar had been stripped of all things that could harm him. Except himself. Remus stared up at his father, swallowing nervously, tawny eyes wide, not wanting to have this happen again, but knowing it would have to pass.

"Rem, you'll be alright. Honest, your mum's going to be up before first light to come down to get you in the morning... I'd stay down here with you, you know. I would." Xavier said softly to Remus, and gave his son a clasp on the shoulder before turning to leave.

The door shut behind his father's retreating form, and Remus was alone. Alone in a dark, slightly warmer, empty room. Left to turn into a monster that was nothing like the little boy he actually was. And soon enough, after this change, he was to find out that sometimes only the monster was what people saw. 

###

"I wish this wouldn't 'ave happened to him.." Clara mumbled into her hand, feeling terrible about the whole situation.

"Love, don't blame yourself. We tried everything we could, none of the 'cures' worked, but we tried. If anyone's to blame, it's me. I took him out with me, and I should have been bit and not him." he told his wife gently, putting an arm around her shoulders. He only got a muffled, inarticulate sound in reply.

They were both startled by a rap at the door. Xavier's brow furrowed, but he went to the door, and opened it to find Fred MacDougal standing outside, bundled inside a particularly heavy cloak.

"Mind if I come in Xav?" he asked through chattering teeth.

Xavier shook his head, and let his friend in the door, a little bemused and a bit nervous about what it was, and lead him to the living room once Fred's cloak was hung up in the foyer.

"Listen, I heard about your bouts with St. Mungo's and well, that's why I'm here." he said without preamble, as he sat down.

Clara had recovered herself beautifully, showing no signs of her previous distraught attitude. "Cry pardon?"

"We- that is the Missus, I and the Turpin's, say we'll be glad to help y-" he began to say, but was cut off by the most feral, pain filled scream he had ever heard. Except of course, that Guy Fawkes Day night.

Xavier was astounded that their neighbors had found out about their financial state, but was more so unnerved by the shriek that startled the three of them. Fred's gaze swung to meet Xavier's and he was on his feet.

"What's going-"

"Please, Fred, sit down, I can-"

"I won't sit! Come, Xavier, I know what kind of scream that was!"

"You don't yet, now sit and-"

"No! If you're going to try and make me sit up here and shoot the breeze when your _child_ is screaming!" Fred shouted, looking at Xavier as if he were mad, and without another word, knowing what he heard and damned if he was going to be too late as he was last time, he strode off at a sprint to the cellar.

"Clara, stay put!" Xavier groaned and sprinted after the other man.

Fred reached the cellar first, and by then, the screams had faded to a whimper, then to silence. He struck at the locked door, and reached for his wand to open it. Xavier's hand caught his wand hand by the wrist and spun him around. Fred may have been the larger of the two, but Xavier was quicker.

"Stop, you can't go in there!" Xavier gasped.

"Why not!" Fred snapped, jerking his arm back to his control.

"Because," Xavier started, not knowing how to term it correctly without sending the man into the normal "Your son is a _what_??" attitude. "Remus is.. er.. Changing." he said, figuring this suited better then any other word he could use.

"Och, come ON now Xavier! You would think with a son of my own and being a man myself I'd be accustomed to changing!" Fred said sharply, taking Xavier's uncertain reply as grounds for a lie. "Now either you answer now or I'll get the answer myself."

"No, you out your wand away and I'll tell you what's going on."

Fred looked apprehensive, as if the idea of blasting the door open and seeing for himself what it was, was far more a better plan. He put his wand away reluctantly in the end.

"Now," Xavier said tiredly and ran a hand though his sandy colored hair. "you remember the night of the Party, how we couldn't find Remus-"

"Yes, now get on with it, don't dawdle." Fred said impatiently.

"Okay, don't get your garter too tight," he replied back almost waspishly. "the next morning a Muggle came by, said he found Remus out in a field, asleep. The reason was not that the wolf had dragged him and given up, Fred, the wolf that attacked us wasn't just a wolf. It was a werewolf." he said, letting the words sink in, looking up at his friend unsurely.

Fred listened with a scowl the whole time, but when the words really soaked in, he looked in shock at Xavier. And the shock soon dissipated and was replaced by the normal look: pure fear.

"So.. he's now a... He's one of.. them?" he said, voice shaking only slightly.

"Yes, we tried everything we could but there just isn't a cure yet." came the doleful reply, and Xavier rubbed his eyes. "Now do you see why there couldn't be a birthday party?" he asked his friend with a sad smile.

"You.. I don't believe you! How could you bring him back in the state he's in! He could bite on of the kids- hell, he's best friends with Mandi! What would happen if something slipped, eh? Ever think of that?" Fred asked, slightly enraged, but more frightened of the thought of something going wrong.

"Fred, calm down, it's alright, we've made sure that everything's under control, and it's only one day a month-" Xavier tried to explain but was silenced once again.

"Under control? Are you mad? You can't control one of those things!" he cried, slightly hysteric, and a low rumbling growl emanated from behind the door at his back and he jumped forward. He stared in disbelief at Xavier, as if that noise solidified everything he said.

"Fred, just, wait a moment, think it-"

"Oh, no, I'm quite done thinking Xavier." Fred said a bit coldly and pushed the other man out of the way and made his way up the stairs.

Xavier leaned his back against he wall, slid down and sat down on his haunches. He put the heels of his hands to his forehead, and gave an incoherent mumble. Moving was no longer an option to help financial problems, now, it was going to soon be a demand from all the neighbors. No one wanted a feral, destructive beast near their families, not even if all days save once a month, that monster was a quiet, kind natured, clever little boy they had all seen grow up. Sometimes, deep instilled fears cloud over sane judgment.

****

Author's Note: Ahhh, I feel AWEFUL now, but there it is.. the backlashes of St. Mungo's and the depth's of society's brainwashing of the public that werewolves are not to be treated as normal human beings. . Oi. Poor Remus. Well, next chapter is prolly going to be the last, and will end on a good note. Promise :D


	6. Fresh Start and A Visit From the Headmas...

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Chapter 6

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Fresh Start and A Visit From the Headmaster

Within the next week, Remus and his parents had sold the house, reduced the amount of notes as much as possible, and had purchased a new home. The day they were moving to the new house, not one of Remus' best friends went outside to say good-bye, nor did the other parents. But he was almost certain he caught glimpses of his friends peeking out frightfully form their windows.

It made Remus sick, and confused. They were his best friends- why did they hate him now? Didn't they see it was just him? Not something to be feared? Of course they did, but their parents had instilled the normal fear of the monstrous werewolf, and with news that their friend was one, they just turned their backs on him, choosing to look the other way.

At the middle of the following week, Remus' cuts and bite marks had healed and they were fully moved into their new home. It was single story, small, but large and roomy enough for a three person family, and they had managed to find one with a basement. Clara and Xavier had also learned quickly the changes to make to make Remus' transformations easier. They left broken chairs down in the basement, that way he would have something to bite and fight against, whereas at the first house he had only had himself to mutilate.

Remus became used to these monthly torturous nights, and soon grew up to be a mature, aged-beyond-his years boy of eleven years. He was average height, but was a bit thinner, paler, and had soft, but definite shadows under his tawny eyes. His parents were extremely understanding and supportive as he grew up, they themselves went through the same casting out as he did, but never once did they blame their own hardships on their son or his affliction. Although he never realized this straight forward, he did once he went out on his own, and realized how lucky he really had been.

Secretly, Xavier and Clara never thought any school would take their son. Before the bite, yes, by all means one of them would have. He was a bright boy after all. But now, with his condition, they didn't think any headmaster would. That was of course until a knock at their door proved to be none other then Albus Dumbledore himself.

The elderly wizard smiled at the astonished couple, light blue eyes shining with amusement from behind half moon spectacles. 

"P-professor, take a seat please. Would you like anything?" Xavier was the first to speak, leading the elder wizard to a seat in their small living room.

"No, no, I'm quite alright. But I do need a word with you two." he said, nodding to Clara.

They both sat down, curious and nervous at the same time. "Yes?" Clara asked, in as steady a voice as she could manage.

"It concerns your son, Remus." the Professor said matter-of-factly, earning him a nervous glance between the parents. "Nothing wrong. I've come to ask you about his going to Hogwarts this coming school year."

The conversation was awkward, the parents not knowing how the Headmaster would react to their son's lycanthropcy, and Dumbledore soon proposed to them his idea.

"A safe house, away from the school, he would do no harm, and Madam Pomfrey would be glad to take care of him after and before the changes." he said.

Xavier and Clara were astounded that the Headmaster would make so much effort for one child, and to this Dumbledore merely smiled while he answered.

"Because, one child could make a difference in the world, no one knows. He was selected to attend before he was born, and one set back is not going to change that. Besides, who knows if more children like him will attend school with us? It would be a benefit for not just him but perhaps someone else."

A Whomping Willow. It seemed a decent enough idea (although Clara immediately had her misgivings that some child was likely to lose an eye), it was the sort of item to be found at Hogwarts with no obvious hints to it's actual use, it's violent nature would deter curious minds, and with the tunnel being built from it, to the abandoned shack in Hogsmeade, it would be a safe route for Remus to take to his safe haven. He would be protected from those who would rather see his kind dead and the other children would be protected from the risk of being bitten.

The headmaster left the letter that would have been sent to the Lupin's via owl before he left, and Clara went upstairs to tell her son the good news. It came as a great shock, considering the young boy had already figured he wasn't going to any school, no matter what happened, and he soon began to pester his parents on what day they would go to Diagon Alley, and so on and so forth, until his parents began to believe that it was a curse to have told him so soon.

###

The trip to Diagon Alley came and went (after peeling Remus from one of the many shops) and soon, Xavier and Clara had an excited eleven year old that was about beside himself. September 10th came, and Remus had a sudden change of heart.

"Mum?" he asked, looking into her room. His dad was at work, and his mom had been given the day off.

"Mhm? Oh, Remus, come in." she said, looking up from the book she was reading, with a small smile.

"I've got a ... question. About Hogwarts." he said a little shortly, walking in and sitting on the edge of the bed.

"Well, what's on yer mind son?" 

"Will... will they know what I am?"

"Oh," Clara said softly, under her breath. "no, no they won't. Are you worried?" she finished, voice confident, comforting.

"I was just worried that if they found out, they'd end up like Mandi." he said a bit awkwardly. He had never mentioned his old best friend since they had moved. It was obviously a sore spot for a while, but he had accepted it, not without his share of repercussions from it.

Clara nodded, a bit understandingly. She could have told anyone she expected Remus to finally get a little nervous about school. "Not everyone is like that Rem, you'll find that if you give it time, and not offer unneeded information to everyone, and let them find out their own ideas and beliefs... some people are accepting." she said slowly, harboring her bitter feelings for Fred MacDougal. He'd been their close friend and neighbor for six years, and at the first sign of rough waters, he got out of the boat.

A frown line of concentration made it's way across Remus' brow and he nodded, hoping his mother was right. She usually was, why not this time? Clara smiled and ruffled her son's hair and told him to get to bed, Xavier wouldn't be happy if he got home and he wasn't in bed yet.

###

"Ho! Wait up James!!" a young boy's voice broke through the muffled din of Platform 9 3/4, and Remus' quick eyes immediately sought out the owner. 

He found him soon enough, a taller boy with a mop of shaggy dark hair, pushing a trolley packed with a truck and other miscellaneous. Which nearly runs over another boy, more gangly and lanky then the other, black hair untidy and hazel eyes laughing at the other.

"Come'n Sirius, I only just met you and now you're going to kill me!?" he jested, helping stop the run away trolley.

"Well, if you'd lend a hand here I won't. Half this is you're junk anyhow..." the one called Sirius said, leaning against the trolley and looking over his shoulder. "You're mum and dad are coming." he said, obviously knowing this prior to looking.

"Ah, I know..." James mumbled, shrugging. "Where's you're folks?"

"Left me in the Muggle part of King's Cross. Don't really like coming out here..." he said a little awkwardly. "Say, you know anyone else in our year?" he said quickly, abruptly changing the subject.

The rest of the conversation, Remus didn't hear. "Ready to go?" his father asked, putting a hand on his shoulder.

Remus looked up, taken by surprise. "Er... yeah." he said, a small smile creeping on his face. 

Xavier helped him load his things on the train and then gave his son a hug, and let Clara bustle by him to embrace her son tightly and kiss his forehead. 

"Mum..." Remus said quietly, a little embarrassed by his mother's ordeal over this.

"Write often, and do well in your classes..." she lectured him, and soon enough, he hopped aboard the Hogwarts Express, bound for his new school.

He came to the last compartment, all other's were full or just didn't want anyone else in there, and came across the two boys he had seen earlier.

"Chudley Cannons."

"Oh come ON! They were horrible last seas- hey there!" James was quipping, before he noticed Remus in the doorway and hailed him.

"Hi... er, got room for one more?" he asked, chancing a little smile.

"Sure, sit down. We just sent Pete for some Cauldron Cakes." said Sirius, rubbing his hands together. "Don't know him from Adam, but if he gets us sweets, I might make room to make him my brother." he said, and gave a laugh that eerily reminded Remus of a dog's bark.

"I'm James, the greedy gut over there-ouch!-" James began but was interrupted by a kick to the shin.

"Is Sirius. Sirius Black, at your service." he said, giving a mock bow while seated, attempting to dodge James' kicks in return.

Remus felt his smile broaden. "Remus Lupin." he said and sat down next to Sirius, and the three began another avid argument about Quidditch teams until Peter, a smaller boy with blonde hair and watery eyes, came back with sweets and then they proceeded to make that disappear. Causing nothing but momentary sugar buzzes and more animated conversations.

In the years to come at Hogwarts, Remus found that not only were those three boys he met on the Hogwarts Express would grow to be Remus' best and closest friends, his brothers and pack mates. He grew up with them, went through rough times with them, was protected by and protected them. Although in the real world, not many other people took too kindly to his condition, he rarely found jobs, even then not for long, but his friends never left his side. 

The bits in between here and there, are as we all know, history.

****

Author's Note: THERE! Fin! ;) hope you enjoyed, reading as much as I did writing. It was a spur of the moment thing and my muse left before I finished so I did that one by winging it. I still lurve my Remus. ^_^ Pleasr R/r, leave cc, cookies, whatever you want ^_^ 


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